The present invention relates generally to a device for use in remedying psueudofoliculitis barbae (hereinafter PFB) or ingrown hairs. More particularly, the present invention relates to a device used for freeing the ingrown portion of a PFB so that it can be shaved by a conventional razor or shaver. Still more particularly, the present invention relates to an instrument used to lift an exposed portion of the PFB so as to free the end of the ingrown hair from the dermal or epidermal layers of skin, and an instrument used to pierce the skin when necessary to extricate an unexposed PFB.
A PFB results when the end of a hair growing from a hair follicle grows inwardly back toward and into the epidermal or dermal layers of skin, or both. When this oocurs, a portion of the PFB may be exposed, or the entire PFB may remain beneath the epidermal layers of skin. In either of such manifestations, a PFB can cause an uncomfortable and inflammatory reaction. A PFB which grows out of the epidermal layer and then turns and grows back into the skin may result in the formation of a papule and irritate and inflame the surrounding skin tissue. A PFB which does not penetrate the epidermal layer of skin, but instead grows entirely thereunder, may form a pustule, another condition which can become inflamed and be very painful to the sufferer.
In U.S. patent application Ser. No. 06/822,608, filed Jan. 27, 1986, entitled "Medicated Shaving Cream and Method for Using Same", the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, there is disclosed a new and unique medicated shaving cream and a method for using the shaving cream to treat PFB. As described therein, an elongate object may be used by inserting it under a portion of the PFB and lifting the PFB to free the non-rooted end from the dermal or epidermal layers of skin.
In the past, to remedy a PFB, ordinary household tweezers were often employed. While tweezers could be used to remove the ingrown portion of a PFB where a portion of the hair was exposed, tweezers were generally ineffective in those instances where the PFB grew entirely under the skin. Even in those instances where a portion of the PFB was exposed, it was often hard to grasp. Furthermore, often while using tweezers to extricate a PFB, the entire hair was pulled out of its follicle, leaving the empty follicle subject to infection. For the wellbeing of the PFB sufferer, it is not advisable to remove the entire hair, but is medically preferably to simple extricate the non-rooted end of the PFB so that it can be shaved along with the surrounding hairs.
In the past it has also been common to use a needle or straight pin in attempting to extricate the end of a PFB from the skin. Such needles and pins, however, provided no means by which to grasp the hair. The use of a needle or pin was additionally unsatisfactory since it often caused painful wounds to the PFB sufferer as the pustule or papule was probed or lanced by the needle or pin. The use of needles and pins is further unsatisfactory because these devices can easily be accidentally inserted into the skin to a painful depth, due to their extremely sharp point and narrow cross section. Finally, such needles and pins are often not kept in a sanitary condition. As a result, the person desiring to extricate a PFB often uses an unsanitized pin or needle found in a sewing kit, household drawer, or other catch-all compartment.